mikatehgr8t
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Such as disability services? I know to look for colleges w/ disability services but what exactly am I looking for that will benefit me as a hearing impaired student?
What should a hearing impaired/deaf student look for in colleges>
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You know, you're very lucky. You're in a state with a very good Deaf School. I would contact Western PA School for the Deaf, or even Pennsylvania School for the Deaf about suggestions for colleges, and accomondations beyond Gally and NTID. WPSD Outreach Services and PA School for the Deaf: Center for Community and Professional Services
You might really do well at NTID. A lot of AG Bell kids (oral) end up there. I believe Norttheastern is also good.....same with BU and so on and so on
My best advice...look for a college or university that has a large population of dhh students. The worst thing you can do in college is try to swing it solo with crappy generic accomondations.
You might really do well at NTID. A lot of AG Bell kids (oral) end up there. I believe Norttheastern is also good.....same with BU and so on and so on
My best advice...look for a college or university that has a large population of dhh students. The worst thing you can do in college is try to swing it solo with crappy generic accomondations.
I'm a deaf, oral MIT student and I do get good accommodations around here. They are also usually very nice and accommodating with you, including re-wiring flashing fire alarms and doorbells so you can stay in the dorm of your choice. I usually use CART for my lectures and seminars. I admit there's only two of us here at MIT at undergraduate level, but it doesn't mean we aren't doing well. I chose MIT for its academics and my social life here isn't bad either, but it's understandably harder if you're an ASL only student.
I agree with Botts. Need more info about you.
I agree with Botts. Need more info about you.
shelia, it does seem like the disabilty services at the name brand colleges are really good. However, if she attends a random state college or even a college where they're not too experianced with dhh kids, she prolly won't get good accomondations.
I searched her posts. She posted about maybe going to Gally b/c she would love to learn ASL and meet other dhh kids. In which case maybe a college with a large Dhh population would be good!
I searched her posts. She posted about maybe going to Gally b/c she would love to learn ASL and meet other dhh kids. In which case maybe a college with a large Dhh population would be good!
That makes sense, esp for her.
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random state college? a college where they're not too experienced with DHH kids?
I didn't have any problem at such colleges you listed including community college. They did their homework well and got me the service I needed.
even MIT didn't know what CART service was when I attended there for a seminar about ten years ago.
Ummm how do you know that the college you attended didn't have experiance with accomondating dhh kids? The thing is...the difference between generic accomondations and ones specificly for dhh people is like the difference between getting services in the Resource Room as a dhh kid vs going to a school that has a strong dhh program
I was kind of thinking the same thing. That if mikatehgr8t had a choice between NTID or Gallaudet, NTID might be more suitable for his or her background.
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simple - you tell them what you want. they provide it for you. and of course... the quality of service varies. As for me - the quality of services from all colleges were satisfactory.
just something to think about - while it makes sense to go to NTID simply cuz it's a deaf school and logic dictates that it should have a variety of accommodation services.... the quality and availability may be an issue. If there are too many students needing same type of accommodation... you're gonna have a problem.
Jiro, you're missing what I am saying.
If she went to NTID or Gally she would have good quality accomondations across the board. I'm not saying that all hearing colleges have crappy accomondations...just that their accomondations can be hit or miss. Like one hearing college might just have notetakers and another have cprint and so on. But at Gally NTID she could always count on good dhh accomondations.
Not to mention that she could take advantage of the social life AND there's the advantage of being able to network with the dhh community.
If she went to NTID or Gally she would have good quality accomondations across the board. I'm not saying that all hearing colleges have crappy accomondations...just that their accomondations can be hit or miss. Like one hearing college might just have notetakers and another have cprint and so on. But at Gally NTID she could always count on good dhh accomondations.
Not to mention that she could take advantage of the social life AND there's the advantage of being able to network with the dhh community.
Another thing is that there's also even R.I.T to consider if she would like to go to school there directly.
Irish
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I'm a deaf student at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania. I don't know which college you are looking to attend, or what kind of background you have with your hearing loss. Since your profile indicates that you're from Pennsylvania as well, if you want more information about Bloomsburg University, you can reply to this post or drop me a private message.
Anyways here are some of the services that I suggest you watch out for -
1. Interpreters.
Does the university already have staff interpreters, or will they have to hire some? Are the interpreters certified or not? Would you allow uncertified interpreters to interpret for you in your classes? There are a lot more questions you could look into.
2. Notetakers.
Being in college is a lot different from high school. High school may be easy enough for you to just float around in classes and not have to bother with notes much. At least I never had to worry about notes. However college is much more difficult, and you actually need to learn the materials for your future. I've found that it's far more beneficial to request some good notetakers and just focus on listening to the professor instead (while still taking some of your own notes - your notetaker might be really good at taking notes, but he or she may not know what kind of stuff you are more likely to remember or forget). You will need to check on the quality of your notetakers too. Some people only copy what's written on the board or typed on Powerpoint presentations. Others might write down extra stuff from the professor's lectures, but they may not get the important points, or their notes may not be easy for you to understand. My personal experience is that I've had the former a LOT more often than notetakers who are actually good. If your notetakers are not satisfactory enough, you will have to discuss the situation with your professor - sometimes your professor can help you find some good notetakers based on test scores or the quality of essays/projects that people have handed in.
3. Visual fire alarms, door alarms, etc.
This is important if you are looking to live in a dorm or an apartment. It doesn't matter if you will live on campus or off campus. If you choose to live off campus and rent some space from a private landlord, you will need to check into the landlord's legal responsibilities, lease information, and city/town ordinances. I know that around here, landlords are required to provide things like fire alarms, fire extinguishers, etc. I've never had any problem with asking my landlord to foot the bill and provide visual fire alarms.
4. Accommodative testing.
I don't know how well you are off when it comes to your reading level or grades. Sometimes some people require more time on their tests. Other times they prefer to take their tests verbally rather than written. The office may require you to schedule accommodative testing in advance - for example, at BU, you can't just waltz in there whenever you have a test. Usually you're required to get approval from your professor, fill out some forms, and schedule a time/date.
I think that's pretty much it. I can't think of much else that you would possibly require as a deaf student. If you have any more questions, just ask.
Anyways here are some of the services that I suggest you watch out for -
1. Interpreters.
Does the university already have staff interpreters, or will they have to hire some? Are the interpreters certified or not? Would you allow uncertified interpreters to interpret for you in your classes? There are a lot more questions you could look into.
2. Notetakers.
Being in college is a lot different from high school. High school may be easy enough for you to just float around in classes and not have to bother with notes much. At least I never had to worry about notes. However college is much more difficult, and you actually need to learn the materials for your future. I've found that it's far more beneficial to request some good notetakers and just focus on listening to the professor instead (while still taking some of your own notes - your notetaker might be really good at taking notes, but he or she may not know what kind of stuff you are more likely to remember or forget). You will need to check on the quality of your notetakers too. Some people only copy what's written on the board or typed on Powerpoint presentations. Others might write down extra stuff from the professor's lectures, but they may not get the important points, or their notes may not be easy for you to understand. My personal experience is that I've had the former a LOT more often than notetakers who are actually good. If your notetakers are not satisfactory enough, you will have to discuss the situation with your professor - sometimes your professor can help you find some good notetakers based on test scores or the quality of essays/projects that people have handed in.
3. Visual fire alarms, door alarms, etc.
This is important if you are looking to live in a dorm or an apartment. It doesn't matter if you will live on campus or off campus. If you choose to live off campus and rent some space from a private landlord, you will need to check into the landlord's legal responsibilities, lease information, and city/town ordinances. I know that around here, landlords are required to provide things like fire alarms, fire extinguishers, etc. I've never had any problem with asking my landlord to foot the bill and provide visual fire alarms.
4. Accommodative testing.
I don't know how well you are off when it comes to your reading level or grades. Sometimes some people require more time on their tests. Other times they prefer to take their tests verbally rather than written. The office may require you to schedule accommodative testing in advance - for example, at BU, you can't just waltz in there whenever you have a test. Usually you're required to get approval from your professor, fill out some forms, and schedule a time/date.
I think that's pretty much it. I can't think of much else that you would possibly require as a deaf student. If you have any more questions, just ask.
I work in western Pennsylvania and I KNOW that at least 5 colleges have experience with providing services for deaf/hh students, off the top of my very tired brain. There are social opportunities for everyone at every college. There is a significant population that uses interpreting/cart services so there are enough providers in the area, at least the western part of the state.
The biggest thing that you must remember is that you have to request what you want and not accept any substitution. YOU have to be your biggest advocate, especially if your accommodations are not working for you. I have started covering classes in the first week of class, the second week and half way through a semester because the student's needs changed, or a provider was no longer working.
The biggest thing that you must remember is that you have to request what you want and not accept any substitution. YOU have to be your biggest advocate, especially if your accommodations are not working for you. I have started covering classes in the first week of class, the second week and half way through a semester because the student's needs changed, or a provider was no longer working.
Irish
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That is an extremely ignorant post. I don't know whether you're actually deaf or not but I wouldn't be surprised if you were hearing with your ignorance and all. Do not ever try to insinuate that deaf people can't survive at hearing colleges or have successful social lives just because of their hearing loss. That's just plain insulting. A lot of deaf people can still figure out how to communicate efficiently enough to form friendships and participate in activities. Also, you never know, some hearing people may even want to learn sign language and communicate with us or befriend us instead!
Take me for example. I'm a deaf student at a HEARING college. I don't speak very well with my voice, yet I've still managed to meet a lot of cool people and form a lot of friendships/connections that I hope will last a lifetime. My social life is going quite well right now thank you very much.
Icemancm
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Amen, Irish!
I did just fine at University of Michigan - Flint and later at Northwestern Michigan College. Didn't have terps, no notetakers, nothing. Just me and my notebook. I always sat up front so I wouldn't miss too much! And as for my social life - well, I became a LOT more outgoing and the girls loved me, all 6'7" of me! Sports? Sure, I played soccer and basketball a lot, and even played some pickup football and baseball. Plus I could hold my own in any conversation about sports then, still can to this day.
Didn't join any fraternities, but then again, I didn't have the desire to. But my point remains that not only did I survive at predominantly hearing colleges, I thrived!
I did just fine at University of Michigan - Flint and later at Northwestern Michigan College. Didn't have terps, no notetakers, nothing. Just me and my notebook. I always sat up front so I wouldn't miss too much! And as for my social life - well, I became a LOT more outgoing and the girls loved me, all 6'7" of me! Sports? Sure, I played soccer and basketball a lot, and even played some pickup football and baseball. Plus I could hold my own in any conversation about sports then, still can to this day.
Didn't join any fraternities, but then again, I didn't have the desire to. But my point remains that not only did I survive at predominantly hearing colleges, I thrived!